LEIGHTON Hospital is planning for the busy winter months by opening an additional ward.

Ward 11 will provide additional beds to help deal with the anticipated extra patients admitted during colder weather

People are more likely to catch cold or flu in winter, leading to an increase in the number of elderly patients admitted with respiratory problems. The cold weather can also cause other serious health problems.

The ward will open until March, enabling the rest of the hospital to function as normal.

In previous years, routine operations have been cancelled as beds were reallocated.